


After the Almost End

by FlashBastard



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angels, Forgiveness, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 07:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20305405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashBastard/pseuds/FlashBastard
Summary: Crowley has a conversation with God





	After the Almost End

Crowley was in his flat checking on his plants. They'd actually done pretty well even though he hadn't been by to water them in a few days. He was quite proud of them and he made sure to tell them that. Crowley didn't always yell at his plants. Sometimes he did let them know when they were growing well. It made the yelling a little more terrifying. In the middle of spraying one of the bigger plants, his flat suddenly filled with a bright, white light. 

"Crowley." A voice said from the light. 

"Yes?" Crowley knew who it was. Any idiot would know who it was. And it wasn't good at all. She didn't usually talk to demons. 

"I need a word with you." She said. Crowley walked over to his desk and put his spray bottle down on it, clearing his throat. Really wasn't good at all. 

"Of course." He took a long, deep breath. 

"You, Crowley, are a very bad demon." God said. 

The problem with human forms of communication was that there were many different ways that a simple phrase could be taken depending on the mood of the person listening to what was being said. In this particular moment, Crowley was absolutely terrified that something bad was going to happen to him. Because of this, he heard what was being said a scolding. Someone being told that they are behaving very badly and are about to be punished for said behavior. In his mind he was being caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. 

What God actually meant, though, was completely different. She'd been watching Crowley over the years. She knew about him and Aziraphale. She as omniscient after all. She was the one that let it continue to go on throughout the millennia. She hadn't anticipated that they would stop armageddon but she really hadn't minded. Not really. What she actually meant when she told Crowley that he was a very bad demon was that he was bad at being a demon. He had a heart and actually cared about things other than himself. He was very much different from every other demon currently in Hell. 

"I...well yes. Um.....kind of my job description.....and" Crowley really had no idea what to say. 

"Be quiet, Crowley." God said with a little but of amusement in her tone. 

"Yes, mam." He cleared his throat and sat down in his chair, realizing that sitting in what looked to be a throne while talking to God was a little ironic. 

"You've done quite a lot, Crowley. Very recently. You've stopped Armageddon, you convinced the Antichrist to rid the world of Satan himself. You went against everything that you were told to do. And that's just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg." 

"I...well.....yes." Crowley couldn't even deny any of that. There was no point. God would know all of that. So that was it. He'd managed to avoid punishment from Hell, just barely, and now he was going to have to endure punishment from God. Again. Wasn't the fall good enough? 

"I'm afraid there really is only one course of action I can take after all of that. You, Anthony J Crowley, are going to be...." The light got a little brighter. 

It really was amazing how much information the brain could process in a short period of time. Especially a brain like Crowley's. The pause in the words was very brief but so much was going on in Crowley's mind in that short amount of time. He was going to be destroyed. He'd never get a chance to see Aziraphale again. To even say goodbye. Who was going to take care of his plants? Of his Bentley? It really was a horrible way to go. He closed his eyes and was in the process of resigning himself to this being the very end of his entire being. 

"Forgiven." God said. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Crowley opened his eyes and stared up into the light. 

"You're forgiven, Crowley. Everything you did, you did for love. Your love of humanity, your love of the Earth, and most importantly your love of Aziraphale. You're the only demon that can even feel that emotion, Crowley. You shouldn't be a demon. You never should have been." 

Crowley just stared into the light completely and utterly confused. He wasn't even sure what was going on. And then suddenly it was as if the light came to life. It started at his feet and swirled around him, a bit like Cinderella's transformation in that cartoon that Aziraphale had forced him to watch. He closed his eyes again, just letting whatever was going to happen happen. 

Aziraphale had a very intense feeling of needing to go check on Crowley and he wasn't entirely sure why. There was just something in the back of his mind that told him to go to Crowley's flat. He needed to make sure that everything was okay. When he arrived and saw the bright white light coming out of the windows, he panicked. 

"Be quiet, Crowley." He heard God say and his heart skipped a beat. He tried to get in the door but it was locked and it would not unlock no matter what he tried. He pulled on the door but the sounds he was making were drowned out by the words. Aziraphale was in the process of trying to find another way in when the rest of the conversation took place so he didn't hear it. When he got around to the back door of the flat, he pulled hard on the door and fell backward when the door flew open easily. 

"Crowley?" Aziraphale called as he came running into the house. 

"That's not his name anymore, Aziraphale." God said, the light still shining down. "I believe it was...Nithael, wasn't it?" 

"Yes, yes it was." The man that had been standing where Crowley was turned to look at Aziraphale. He was no longer dressed all in black. He was now standing there in the white robes of an ancient angel. His hair was long and flowing once again. Aziraphale looked into his eyes and gasped. Gone were the yellow serpent eyes, they were now the most beautiful shade of green. 

"Nithael..." Aziraphale hadn't heard that name in so long. He walked over and practically threw himself into his friend's arms. They embraced as two dear friends who hadn't seen each other in centuries. The light dissipated and the two of them just stood there, holding each other. After a few moments, Aziraphale moved back and put a hand on Nithael's cheek. 

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. He knew how much Crowley had enjoyed being a demon in certain respects. This was completely different. He'd still be able to perform miracles but no more temptation. 

"I...I don't know." He cleared his throat and looked around. Oh he wasn't going to be able to actually yell at his plants anymore, was he? That was okay. "I....might need some help. Getting back into the swing of things." He grinned at Aziraphale. 

"I think that can most definitely be arranged." Aziraphale smiled brightly. They now had a very, very good reason to spend a great deal of time together.


End file.
